The Horizontal Society

Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of traveling the world; I wanted to leave Korea and venture out into the wider world. In the alleys of Jangwi-dong, Gangbuk, in the 1970s, the neighborhood would fill with the smells of doenjang, kimchi, and fish every evening. As the children ran around playing and then went inside one by one to eat dinner, only the traces of their play remained on the alley floor. There were also many dogs roaming the neighborhood.

I lived in Korea for a little over 20 years. I miss it, but that doesn’t mean I want to live there. It feels stifling. It’s not just because the land is small. The social structure is stifling. A hierarchical society—one where people are treated based on their educational background and profession—makes me feel suffocated. Why do people define their existence by how others treat them? Why do they try to find themselves in the image they project to others? I believe a just country is one where I can simply be “me,” do what I want to do (without harming others), and where people treat each other with respect as individuals.

I start my day by reading major Korean news outlets and The Washington Post. These days, the U.S. society section is dominated by stories of gun-related hate crimes, while Korean society is flooded with stories of people losing their humanity in pursuit of money. While the gun issue is certainly a problem, it’s also heartbreaking to see a Korean society where money has become a god, causing people to lose their humanity. I suppose we lose our humanity because we believe we must have money to be treated well.

Being treated well—honestly, it feels good. It’s when someone treats me specially. But I think what’s more important is a life where we respect one another. Shouldn’t we respect each other as individuals—regardless of age, educational background, or money? We are all merely creatures before God; is there anyone who can transcend God? While I acknowledge special talents and abilities, I wonder if there’s really a reason to give special treatment just because someone is a “VVP” (unless it’s for commercial reasons).

The fact that some people treat others well, in turn creating a desire to be treated well, seems to stem from the interplay between our society’s traditions and social structure. For example, when I saw Pastor Kim Ki-dong recently, I wondered whether he might have deluded himself into thinking he was God because the congregation treated him that way. While those who abuse their power are certainly at fault, isn’t the real problem the social structure that allows such abuse to occur?

I hope that as generations change, the hierarchical structure of our society will become more horizontal. I believe this will happen because today’s younger generation thinks more rationally and logically than our generation did. I firmly believe that the power to bring about this change is the strength of the new generation.

09/06/2019 by Dr. Lan Joo